Just for Tonight

1.

I do not own anything about lyrics, videos and so on. It s just a fanfic about Ville Valo and HIM.

***

Ville was waiting for the journalist in his dressing room, right after the gig.

He felt drained, irritated by the thought of facing another interview at this late hour. The day had been tough-back-to-back obligations, rehearsals, and now, after the show, this unexpected meeting. He already knew the questions by heart: was he single? What happened with his last girlfriend? How did it feel to be labeled a "sex symbol"? It was always about his private life, never about the music-the only part of him that truly mattered.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Seppo stepped in, followed by a woman.

"Ville, here's the journalist you've been waiting for," Seppo announced, then slipped out, leaving them alone.

The woman was small, with long, chestnut hair cascading around a face lit by intriguing grey eyes. She didn't look much like a journalist; she wore black jeans, a grey shirt, and a scarf, paired with scuffed black Converse. Her style was both subtle and self-assured, far from the formal attire Ville was used to seeing.

She smiled, and Ville gestured for her to take a seat.

"Mr. Valo, I'm Chloe, from Finland's Greatest Music. I won't take too long, as I can see you're tired."

Ville was surprised. Usually, journalists started with a dull opening or a forced smile, but not her."All right, let's get started," he replied, curiosity piqued.

She pulled out a small notebook and looked up at him.

"In your song, *The Sacrament*, you sing-let me quote you-The commandments are of consolation and warmth. Since you're not a religious person, do you ever feel that warmth and consolation from something outside faith?"

Ville stayed silent for a moment, moved by the unexpected depth of her question.

"That's an interesting question," he finally said, meaning it. "The easy answer would be music; it always gives me warmth and comfort. But... even though I'm a bit of a hermit, I'd say my bandmates are my true source of warmth and consolation. They're my family, through good times and bad-they're always there."

He expected her to probe further, maybe about those "bad times," his darker moments, but she didn't push.

"How do you usually find inspiration?" she asked, moving forward naturally. "You know, finding the right words in the right place, the music behind them. How does your mind work? Do the words come first, or the music?"

Again, Ville was taken aback. For the first time in months, he felt a genuine pleasure in answering.

"You know, it depends on the song. I'd say, when I'm hurting, the words come first; they just surface. But when I'm at peace, it's usually the music that arrives first."

She nodded, focused. "Tonight, I was in the crowd watching the gig. I could see you feeling pain and joy all at once, singing these beautiful songs, giving everything you are to us, the audience. It was incredible. How do you manage to do that, night after night on tour, without losing yourself or your mind?"

Ville relaxed, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess the fans give me a kind of adrenaline shot, you know. I'm a bit of an addict, so I need my fix night after night."

Chloe didn't latch onto his remark about addiction, nor did she dig into questions about his past struggles with rehab, letting a respectful silence settle. Ville felt the sincerity of her restraint.

"More seriously," he continued, "every show is different for me, and I always try to give my best, as do the guys. It's all about, you know, sharing something precious. There are parts of a human's life in each song. I can only hope people take from the lyrics whatever they need."

The interview went on, her questions consistently thoughtful, focused only on his music, the lyrics he was proud of. For the first time in a long while, Ville felt like he was having an authentic conversation, free from the intrusion into his private life. He found himself smiling, almost forgetting how exhausted he was.

When Chloe began thanking him for his time and kind words, Ville felt a strange hesitation within himself.

"Thank you too, Chloe, for this wonderful conversation. I wish more interviews could be like this." He paused, then added quietly, "Could I... have your professional number, perhaps?"

Chloe smiled, reaching into her bag to retrieve a card. "Here you go. This is my personal number, actually, so... call me. Maybe we can have another... conversation, as you called it."

She extended her hand, and Ville took it in his, her touch warm and gentle, as comforting as the final note of a song.

"Until next time, Chloe," he murmured.

"Until then, Mr. Valo," she replied with a smile, her eyes holding a hint of mystery.

***
If you are here, I would like to thank you. Since english is not my first langage, please forgive me if I made some mistakes.